Interactive use and athletic performance monitoring and reward method, system, and computer program product

ABSTRACT

A method, computer program product, and system for monitoring and rewarding athletic performance and use of a product worn by a person, thereby motivating use of the product and promoting customer loyalty. The present invention includes and system and method for measuring, tracking, and recording use of the product, preferably related to the athletic performance of an athlete, using a portable, remote device; transferring that data from the remote device to a common location, such as an Internet web site service; calculating, assigning, and tracking rewards based on the level of use determined from the data; and allowing the user to redeem his or her rewards or compare his or her performance level with other athletes using other remote devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of, and claims the benefit of priorityto, application Ser. No. 09/453,645, filed Dec. 3, 1999, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,585,622, issued Jul. 1, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method, computer program, and system formonitoring and rewarding use of a product, which is preferably anathletic product such as an article of footwear, thereby promotingcustomer loyalty and motivating people to use the product. Inparticular, the present invention includes a system and a method formeasuring, tracking, and recording the athletic performance of anathlete using a remote device; transferring that data from the remotedevice to a common location, such as an Internet web site server;calculating, assigning, and tracking rewards based on the level ofathletic performance determined from the data; and allowing the athleteto benefit from his or her earned rewards or compare his or herperformance level with other athletes using other remote devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Motivating people to exercise regularly is often a difficult task. Manyforms of exercise, such as running and stair climbing, can be tedious,repetitive activities. Accordingly, some people tend to become boredwith the activity over time and often give up before seeing meaningfulresults from their increased activity level.

Known devices for attempting to motivate people to exercise includedevices for monitoring and recording key parameters such as heart rate,distance traveled and calories burned while the athlete is performingthe athletic activity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,963 toHutchings, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference,discloses a device that measure the distance traveled, speed, and heightjumped of a person wearing the device. This information may be storedand recalled on demand. An athlete may then use this information totrack and monitor his progress, thereby motivating the athlete toexercise. However, these devices do not provide any method or system forallowing the athlete to earn redeemable rewards based on the level ofactivity recorded.

Similarly, enhanced visual displays and computer graphics have been usedto motivate athletes to exercise. Typically, these displays include avirtual image of an athletic event, such as a running course. As anathlete runs on a treadmill, the displayed computer image simulatesrunning along the race course. More sophisticated versions of thesedevices allow the runner to track and monitor athletic performance,“race” virtual runners, or even “race” other athletes using thesimilarly equipped devices on other treadmills. Data collecting devices,used to control the virtual images, are secured directly to the exerciseequipment, such as the treadmill. Accordingly, if an athlete wishes touse these devices with a variety of equipment, separate data collectingdevices must be purchased and used. Moreover, these equipment-mounteddevices do not allow athletes to tract their athletic performance duringactivities unrelated to using that equipment. For example, an owner ofsuch equipment could not monitor his or her athletic performanceassociated with playing a game of basketball, nor would this type ofequipment motivate the athlete to do so.

On the other hand, some retailers have learned that rewarding customersfor purchasing their goods or services motivates the customers toprovide repeat business. Historically, for example, retailers haveissued a specific number of stamps, known as “green stamps,” to theircustomer for a given amount of purchases. The customer collects thesestamps and may eventually redeem them for merchandise after collectingenough of them.

More recently, airlines have rewarded their passengers with frequentflyer miles for purchased tickets. By allowing the customers to exchangethese miles for free or reduced fare airline travel, the airlinesmotivate their passengers to remain loyal to their services, and in somecases even to fly more frequently.

These award programs have extended into awarding frequent flying milesfor qualifying goods purchased. However, while these programs mayencourage the initial purchase of the goods, they do not offeradditional rewards when the purchaser actually uses the purchased goods.For example, under some frequent flying plans, a customer may be able toreceive frequently flyer miles for purchasing a treadmill or runningshoes. This is usually accomplished by the consumer paying for thepurchase with a credit card that has been issued by the airline offeringthe reward. However, the purchaser does not receive any additionalrewards for actually using the treadmill or running shoes purchased.Accordingly, these types of reward programs offer little incentive foran athlete to actually use athletic products purchased under theseprograms.

Thus, despite the known prior art methods and techniques, there remainsa need for a method or system that encourages the actual use of aproduct. There also remains the need for a method or system thatencourages persons to exercise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is therefore anobject of the invention to provide a technique for encouragingexercising persons, including athletic and fitness product users, andsports participants (hereafter referred to as “athletes”) to continue orincrease their level of exercise. It is a further object of theinvention to provide a technique for encouraging customers to actuallyuse a purchased good worn by the person. It is still another object ofthe invention to provide a technique for encouraging an athlete toexercise by encouraging his use of athletic equipment, such as athleticshoes. These and other objects of the invention shall become apparentfrom the foregoing disclosure and claims.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a reward determinationlocation, such as an athletic shoe manufacturer, collects product useinformation from a plurality of remote product use information gatheringdevices. Each remote product use information gathering device isassociated with a product. The reward determination location thendetermines product use information from the collected product useinformation.

With another embodiment according to the invention, a rewarddetermination location, such as an athletic shoe manufacturer, collectsathletic performance information for a plurality of persons from aplurality of remote athletic performance measurement devices. The rewarddetermination location then determines a reward for each of theplurality of persons from the collected athletic performanceinformation.

For still another embodiment of the invention, a product user operates aproduct use information gathering device to measure informationregarding use of a product. The product user then operates theinformation gathering device to transmit the gathered product useinformation to a reward determination location. In return, the productuser receives information.

According to still yet another embodiment of the invention, an athleteoperates a remote athletic performance measurement device to gatherinformation relating to his athletic performance. The athlete thenperforms an athletic activity. After the athletic activity is completed,the athlete operates the athletic performance measurement device totransmit the gathered athletic performance information to a rewarddetermination location. The athlete then receives reward information inresponse to the transmitted athletic performance information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a method for encouraging athletic activityaccording for an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a method for encouraging athletic activityaccording to an alternative preferred exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of an athleticperformance measurement device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a second preferred embodiment ofathletic performance measurement device according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a third preferred embodiment of anathletic performance measurement device according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates two preferred embodiments for transmitting collectedathletic performance information according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a third preferred embodiment for transmittingcollected athletic performance information according to the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is directed to a method and system for monitoringathletic performance and rewarding that performance to thereby motivatethe athlete.

Summary

One preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. Accordingto this embodiment, an athlete taking advantage of the method of theinvention measures his athletic performance over a period of time instep S10. As will be explained in detail below, the athlete can employone or more of a variety of athletic performance measuring devices togather information relating to his athletic performance.

At the end of the period, in step S11, the athlete transmits thegathered information to a reward determining location, such as anathletic equipment manufacturer. The athletic equipment manufacturerreviews the athletic performance information, and determines a rewardfor the athlete in proportion to his measured athletic performance. Themanufacturer then transmits information relating to the reward back tothe athlete. The athlete receives the reward information in step S12.

In a related embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 2, a rewarddetermining location, such as an athletic equipment manufacturer,collects athletic performance information from a plurality of athleticperformance measurement devices in step S20. As will be explained indetail below, each remote athletic performance measurement devicegathers athletic performance information for one or more athletes, andtransmits the information to the manufacturer. In step S21, themanufacturer then determines rewards for each athlete that areproportional to his measured athletic performance.

In addition to steps S20 and S21 noted above, alternate embodiments ofthe invention can include one or more of optional steps S22-S24. Withoptional step S22, the manufacturer transmits information relating tothe determined reward back to the athlete. This direct feedback providesimmediate positive reinforcement for the athletic activity.

The manufacturer also can provide performance information from anathlete to an authorized requestor, as shown in optional step S23. Thisstep can be useful to, for example, the athlete's trainer, doctor, oranother athlete. Further, because the manufacturer collects performanceinformation from a number of athletes, the manufacturer can also prepareinformation comparing the performance of two or more athletes. Themanufacturer can then provide this comparison information to anauthorized requestor, as shown in optional step S24.

The various aspects of the invention will now be discussed in furtherdetail, with reference to the attached drawings.

Gathering Performance Information

As noted above, athletic performance information can be gathered by avariety of different athletic performance measurement devices.Preferably, the measurement devices 10 are light weight, portable, andattached to the athlete or articles worn by the athlete whileexercising. One basic preferred athletic performance measurement device10 is shown in FIG. 3. As seen in this figure, the athletic performancemeasurement device includes a sensor 12, a memory 14, and an interface16.

The sensor 12 can be selected to measure any one of a variety ofathletic performance values. According to one preferred embodiment, theathletic performance measurement device 10 is embedded in the sole of ashoe. With this embodiment, the sensor 12 is preferably an impact sensorthat produces a pulse each time the shoe impacts the ground. Thus, thesensor 12 counts each step taken by the athlete. In an alternateembodiment, the sensor 12 is an accelerometer for detecting accelerationof the shoe. The construction and use of these types of sensors are wellknown in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,963 toHutchings.

The memory 14 of the device stores the measured performance informationdetected by the sensor 12 until the information is to be transmitted tothe reward determination location 30, e.g., the shoe's manufacturer.When the athletic performance measurement device 10 transmits the storedperformance information to the manufacturer, it transmits theinformation via the interface. For the embodiment of the invention withathletic performance measurement device 10 embedded in the sole of ashoe, the interface 16 is preferably a simple one. For example, theinterface 16 can be a passive radio frequency transmitter. As is wellknown in the art, such transmitters can be “read” by exposing them to aradio frequency signal. The signal provides the transmitter with enoughenergy to transmit a reply signal containing the athletic performanceinformation stored in the memory 14.

Another preferred embodiment of an athletic performance measurementdevice 10 is shown in FIG. 4. As with the previously discussedembodiment, this embodiment includes a sensor 12, a memory 14, and aninterface 16. This embodiment additionally includes a controller 18,however, for controlling the transfer of data between the sensor 12, thememory 14, and the interface 16. Further, with this embodiment, thememory 14 has a read-only portion (ROM) and a read-write portion (RAM).The read-only portion stores operation instructions for the controller18 and the read-write portion stores the athletic performanceinformation measured by the sensor 12.

Further, while the interface 16 may continue to be a passive radiofrequency transmitter, the controller 18 allows for more complexinterfaces. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, theinterface 16 is a data port, such as a serial data port or a paralleldata port. The interface 16 may alternately include an active radiotransmitter, or an infrared transmitter, or any combination of interfacedevices. A number of interfaces, including a variety of data ports,radio transmitters, and infrared transmitters, are well known in theart, and can be constructed and employed by those of ordinary skill inthe art.

The controller 18 also allows for a more complex sensor. As before, thesensor 12 can be an impact sensor and an accelerometer. The sensor 12may also be, for example, a device for measuring pulse rate, distancetraveled, calories burned, or any other known sensor for measuring astandard of athletic performance. In still other embodiments, thecontroller 18 performs calculations upon the measured athleticperformance information, to generate additional athletic performanceinformation (e.g., average pulse rate, average speed, etc.).

For some preferred embodiments, this athletic performance measurementdevice 10 is portable, and can be worn by the athlete during hisathletic activity. For example, in one preferred embodiment, theathletic performance measurement device 10 is encapsulated in a portablemodule that can be removably attached to the athlete's article offootwear, such as his shoe. Such portable modules are well known, andare commonly employed in, for example, foot races such as marathons.

With other preferred embodiments, the athlete wears the athleticperformance measurement device 10 on his wrist, either by itself or as acomponent of a wristwatch. Wrist-worn performance measuring devices,such as pulse meters and pedometers, are well known. In still otherembodiments of the invention, the athletic performance measurementdevice is hand-held during the athletic activity.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5. In thisembodiment, the athletic performance measurement device 10 includes thesensor 12, controller 18, memory 14 and interface 16 of the previousembodiment. It further includes an additional sensor 12, an input device20, and a display 22. The display 22 allows the athlete to see his ownmeasured athletic performance information, either at the end of hisathletic activity, during his athletic activity, or both.

The input device 20 also allows the athlete to use the athleticperformance measurement device 10 in a variety of ways. For example, thesame athletic performance measurement device 10 can be used by more thanone person. That is, by using the input device, different athletes canpersonalize the gathered athletic performance information.

Thus, two or more friends can share a single athletic performancemeasurement device 10. When the first friend uses the device, heoperates the input device 20 to input a code specific to him. This codethen instructs the athletic performance measurement device 10 to storethe subsequently gathered performance information in a particular memorylocation, or with a memory label identifying the athletic performanceinformation as his. When the second friend uses the athletic performancemeasurement device, he uses the input to enter a different code,instructing the athletic performance measurement device to store thesubsequently gathered performance information in a different memorylocation, or with a different memory label.

Further, when the athletic performance measurement device 10 is part ofa larger unit, e.g., a wristwatch, then the input device 20 can be usedto activate or deactivate the athletic performance measurement device10. Moreover, the athlete can use the input device to select whether thefirst sensor 12, the second sensor 12, or both measure the athleticperformance values.

The input device 20 is preferably a keyboard or an active surface thatresponds to a stylus. Such input devices are well-known, and theirconstruction and use are well within the capability of those of ordinaryskill in the art. Similarly, the display may be a liquid crystaldisplay, a light emitting diode display, or any other type ofconventionally known display.

As with the previous embodiments, this embodiment may be encapsulated ina portable module that can be removably attached to, for example, ashoe, or worn on the athlete's wrist. Further, this embodiment also maybe hand-held, as with the previous embodiments.

While the use of two sensors 12 was described with reference to only thepreceding embodiment, it should be noted that any embodiment of theinvention, including any of the foregoing embodiments, may employ two ormore sensors. Likewise, it should be noted that the display 22 and inputdevice 20 need not be used together, but that either could be employedtogether or alone with any embodiment of the invention, including any ofthe foregoing embodiments.

Transmission of Performance Information

Once the athletic performance information has been gathered, it can betransmitted to the reward determining location 30 (e.g., an athleticshoe manufacturer) in a number of ways.

In one preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, the reward determininglocation 30 collects the gathered athletic performance informationthrough collection devices in a wide area network (WAN) 28. In thisembodiment, the reward determination location 30 preferably maintainscomputer kiosks 32 at various locations, such as boutique stores orretail stores that sell its athletic equipment. Each of these computerkiosks 32 has at least one interface 16 for receiving gathered athleticperformance information athletic performance measurement devices 10.

For example, the interface 16 may be a radio frequency transceiver, forobtaining athletic performance information from athletic performancemeasurement devices 10 that employ a radio frequency transmitter, asdiscussed above. The interface 16 may alternately, or additionally, havea serial or parallel data port, or in infrared transceiver. Preferably,every kiosk 32 in the network will has a sufficient variety ofinterfaces so as to be compatible with any athletic performancemeasurement device.

Each kiosk 32 also has a transmission device, such as a modem, a digitalcommunication line, or a wireless communication unit, for transmittingthe athletic activity performance information to the reward determininglocation. The various types of transmission devices are numerous andwell-known, and thus are not described here in detail. In thisembodiment, the kiosk 32 can transmit collected athletic performanceinformation immediately to the manufacturer, or postpone transmissionuntil it collects a specific amount of athletic performance information.

In another preferred embodiment, also shown in FIG. 6, the rewarddetermining location 30 is individually contacted by differentcollection devices. For example, with this embodiment, the athleticequipment manufacturer also collects athletic performance informationthrough computer kiosks 32 it maintains at various locations. Ratherthan being continuously connected to the manufacturer through acommunications network, however, each kiosk 32 operates as a stand-aloneunit until it transmits athletic performance information to themanufacturer.

When the kiosk 32 decides to transmit the athletic performanceinformation, it initiates a communication procedure between it and themanufacturer (e.g., a dial-up procedure with a modem). Afterestablishing communication with the manufacturer, the kiosk thentransmits its collected athletic performance information. As with theprevious embodiment, the kiosk 32 can transmit collected athleticperformance information immediately to the manufacturer, or postponetransmission until it collects a specific amount of athletic performanceinformation.

As seen in FIG. 6, individual personal computers 34 can also be used ascollection devices to collect and transmit gathered athletic performanceinformation to the manufacturer. With this arrangement, the athletegathers athletic performance information with the athletic performancemeasurement device, and then links the athletic performance measurementdevice to his personal computer 34. Any conventional linking arrangementcan be employed to link the athletic performance measurement device withthe personal computer 34. Such linking arrangements, like those forlinking personal information management devices (e.g., the Palm Pilot™)to a personal computer, are well known, and are thus not described indetail here.

After the athletic performance measurement device 10 downloads itsgathered athletic performance information into the athlete's personalcomputer 34, the athlete can then initiate a communication procedurebetween his personal computer and the manufacturer. Again, suchcommunication procedures (e.g., a dial-up procedure with a modem) arewell known in the art. After communication between the athlete'spersonal computer and the manufacturer is established, the collectedathletic performance information is transferred from the athlete'spersonal computer to the manufacturer. The transfer can take placeimmediately after athletic performance measurement device downloads thegathered performance information to the personal computer, or at a latertime selected by the athlete (e.g., after a significant amount ofathletic performance information has been collected).

The above-preferred embodiments specifically employ computers. Thegeneral use, operation, and construction of a computer system are knownand have been disclosed in numerous patents, such as U.S. Pat. No.5,818,447 to Wolf et al. To prevent undue repetition as to these basicelements, Applicants hereby incorporate the following patents byreference: U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,447 to Wolf et al. and U.S. Pat. No.5,752,025 to Shakib et al.

Further, it will be understood that any suitable personal computingdevice can be employed to collect and transmit the gathered athleticperformance information. For example, distributed programming computers(i.e., computers that do not store their own programming instructions,but receive them over a network) or personal information managementcomputers (such as the Palm Pilot™) can be alternately employed.

For still other embodiments of the invention, athletic performancemeasurement device is configured to download its gathered athleticperformance information directly to the manufacturer. For example,according to one embodiment of the invention, the athletic performancemeasurement device 10 contains a modem. The modem (which can be foreither hard-line communication or can be for wireless communication) isused to establish direct communication between the athletic performancemeasurement device 10 and the manufacturer. Other embodiments employalternate communication procedures, such as a completely digitalcommunication line.

Still another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 7. In thisembodiment, athletes indirectly transmit gathered athletic performanceinformation to the manufacturer by way of an Internet website server 36.With this arrangement, the athlete links his athletic performancemeasurement device 10 to his personal computer 34 or other type ofsuitable computer device, as previously discussed. Rather thancommunicating over a direct line with the athletic equipmentmanufacturer; however, the computer device communicates with themanufacturer's Internet website server 36 through an Internet serviceprovider.

This type of communication allows the athlete to obtain access to otherinformation and services provided by the manufacturer when he transmitshis athletic performance information. This feature is particularlyadvantageous when the athlete receives a purchase discount as a rewardfor his athletic performance. The athlete can then take immediateadvantage of his reward by purchasing additional products from themanufacturer through the manufacturer's website.

As with the previous embodiment, the athletic performance measurementdevice may be configured to communicate directly with the Internetwebsite server 36 through an Internet service provider. Also, themanufacturer can maintain kiosks for transmitting collected athleticperformance information through an Internet website server.

Any suitable format can be used to transmit the athletic performanceinformation to the Internet website server 36. A variety of informationformats, such as the MP3 and the Microsoft Windows Media Audio formatsfor audio information, and the JPEG, MPEG and MPEG II formats for videoinformation, are just examples of well known information formats thatcan be employed.

It should be noted that, for most embodiments of the invention, it isnecessary to distinguish each athlete's performance information fromthat of other athletes. Thus, in addition to the athletic performanceinformation, each athletic information collection device will alsopreferably transmit an identification code identifying the source of theathletic performance information.

More specifically, the identification code can be used to identify theathletic performance measuring device providing the athletic performanceinformation. For example, when the athletic performance measuring device10 is permanently attached to a product (e.g., embedded in a shoe), thenthe identification code may identify the product rather than theathlete.

Alternately, the identification code can be used to identify the athleteperforming the measured athletic activity rather than a specificathletic performance measurement device. This arrangement is preferablywhen the athletic performance measurement device can be used by morethan one athlete.

The identification code can be input by the athlete at various times.For example, according to some embodiments of the invention, the athleteinputs the identification code prior to or just after performing theathletic activity. With other embodiments of the invention, however, theathlete postpones entering the identification code until he transfersthe athletic performance information to an information collectiondevice. With yet other embodiments of the invention, the athlete entersthe identification code directly into the collection device rather thanthe athletic performance measurement device.

According to still other embodiments, the identification code ispermanently stored in the memory of the athletic performance measurementdevice, and automatically is transferred to the collection device ortransmitted to the reward determining location with the athleticperformance information. This arrangement is preferable when theidentification code identifies the athletic performance measurementdevice rather than the athlete.

The Reward

According to the method of the invention, the person wearing the productreceives rewards from the manufacturer proportional to his athleticperformance and/or general use of the product. These rewards will thenencourage the athlete to continue or even increase his athleticperformance in order to obtain additional rewards. As will beunderstood, these rewards can be anything that encourages the athlete orproduct user.

For example, the manufacturer can provide discounts for future purchasesof its athletic equipment, or even free athletic equipment. Themanufacturer can also, for example, provide cash awards, or discounts orgifts of other's goods or services. These rewards could be accrued overtime, awarded immediately, or awarded on any basis desired by themanufacturer.

Additionally, as briefly noted above, the manufacturer can provideauthorized requestors with their own performance information or theperformance information of other athletes. This is useful, for example,for an athlete's coach or doctor who needs a record of the athlete'sperformance.

The athlete also can use his collected performance information as adetailed record of his own use. Thus, an athlete can use the collectedperformance information to track the changes in his own athleticperformance over time. This feature is particularly useful inconjunction with an Internet website. The website allows an authorizeduser to readily obtain the desired information from any personalcomputer, without having to initiate a communication procedure specificto the manufacturer or traveling to a fixed computer kiosk.

As also previously noted, the manufacturer can “reward” the athlete byproviding the athlete, or any other authorized requestor, withinformation comparing the athlete's performance to the athleticperformance of other athletes. Thus, for example, an athlete can comparehis performance with that of a friend or rival, spurring the athlete onto improve his athletic performance. This feature also is useful to ateam coach or doctor, who needs to efficiently review athleticperformance information for an entire team. Similarly, the compilationof performance and use data collected from numerous people wearing theproduct can provide invaluable information to researchers, includingshoe designers, marketers, and biomedical researchers. Still further,the manufacturer can reward the athlete by comparing his performancewith that of a professional athlete.

In other embodiments of the invention, the manufacturer providesadditional Internet web sites to which only athletes with a certainlevel of rewards have access. The manufacturer can also provide gameswhere athletes progress and succeed based upon their level of athleticperformance. These games can be individual games, or games whereathletes compete interactively against each other. Additional rewardswill of course be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and itis intended that these be encompassed by the scope of the appendedclaims.

With the above-described embodiments, the rewards are calculated by thereward determining location (e.g., the product manufacturer). However,it should be noted that alternate embodiments of the invention calculatethe rewards internally though software installed on the collectiondevice or in the athletic performance measurement device itself. Theinformation relating to the reward is then transferred to the rewarddetermining location with the athletic performance information. In theseembodiments, the reward determining location verifies the previouslycalculated reward.

Other Embodiments of the Invention

In addition to those embodiments discussed above that specificallymeasure and reward athletic performance, it will be apparent that themethod of the invention can be employed to measure and encourage thegeneral, non-athletic, use of any product. For example, the performancemeasuring devices attached to the product can sense and record activitylevels associated with general, non-athletic use of the product.

In one such embodiment, the method of the invention can be employed inarticles of footwear to record, track, and reward general day-to-daywearing and use of the articles of footwear. In this embodiment, themethod of the present invention would encourage a potential customer tobuy and use the articles of footwear, but not necessarily only forfitness or athletic purposes. Similarly, use information collected fromthis embodiment will provide the footwear manufacturer with valuableinsight into how its footwear products are actually being used by itscustomers.

Of course, it will be understood that the invention is not limited touse with athletic equipment, but can be applied to monitor and encouragethe use of any equipment.

Conclusion

In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles ofthe invention can be applied, it should be apparent that the detailedembodiments are illustrative only and should not be taken as limitingthe scope of the invention. Rather, the claimed invention includes allsuch modifications as may come within the scope of the following claimsand equivalents thereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: storing, by a measurementdevice embedded in an article of clothing, a clothing identificationcode that identifies an article of clothing and a user identificationcode that distinguishes between users of the article of clothing, theclothing identification code and the user identification code beingdistinct from one another; measuring, by the measurement device,activity information indicating performance of a physical activity, theactivity information stored in association with the clothingidentification code and the user identification code; and transmitting,by the measurement device, the activity information, the clothingidentification code, and the user identification code for updatingproduct use reward information based on the activity information, theclothing identification code, and the user identification code.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the measurement device is permanentlyembedded in the article of clothing.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe article of clothing is an article of footwear and wherein themeasurement device is embedded in a sole structure of the article offootwear.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement device isremovably attachable to the article of clothing.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the activity information includes one or more selected fromthe group consisting of: heart rate, steps taken, distance traveled, andrate of speed.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identificationcode identifies a memory location in a memory to store the activityinformation.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement devicecomprises a plurality of sensors.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising receiving input selecting at least one of the plurality ofsensors to use to measure the activity information.
 9. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, areconfigured to cause an apparatus to at least: store, by a measurementdevice embedded in an article of clothing, a clothing identificationcode that identifies an article of clothing and a user identificationcode that distinguishes between users of the article of clothing, theclothing identification code and the user identification code beingdistinct from one another; measure, by the measurement device, activityinformation indicating performance of a physical activity, the activityinformation stored in association with the clothing identification codeand the user identification code wherein the apparatus is embedded in anarticle of clothing and stores an identification code of the article ofclothing; and transmit, by the measurement device, the activityinformation, the clothing identification code, and the useridentification code for updating product use reward information based onthe activity information, the clothing identification code, and the useridentification code.
 10. An apparatus comprising: a processor; and amemory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, are configured to cause the apparatus to at least: store, bya measurement device embedded in an article of clothing, a clothingidentification code that identifies an article of clothing and a useridentification code that distinguishes between users of the article ofclothing, the clothing identification code and the user identificationcode being distinct from one another; measure, by the measurementdevice, activity information indicating performance of a physicalactivity, the activity information stored in association with theclothing identification code and the user identification code whereinthe apparatus is embedded in an article of clothing and the memorystores an identification code of the article of clothing; and transmit,by the measurement device, the activity information, the clothingidentification code, and the user identification code for updatingproduct use reward information based on the activity information, theclothing identification code, and the user identification code.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is permanently embedded inthe article of clothing.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein thearticle of clothing is an article of footwear and wherein the apparatusis embedded in a sole structure of the article of footwear.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is removably attachable tothe article of clothing.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein theactivity information includes one or more selected from the groupconsisting of: heart rate, steps taken, distance traveled, and rate ofspeed.
 15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user identificationcode identifies a memory location in a memory to store the activityinformation.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatuscomprises a plurality of sensors.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, whereinthe instructions, when executed, are configured to cause the apparatusto receive input selecting at least one of the plurality of sensors touse to measure the activity information.